The Best Knot To Tie A Shock Leader Is The Albright Knot

Why is the Albright knot the best knot to tie for a shock leader? The answer is because it meets the two main requirements needed for the shock leaders that are used for surf fishing.

1. A shock leader knot must be strong enough to withstand the power of long distance surf casting.
2. The knot must be as compact as possible to allow it to pass through the rod guides as easily as possible.

The Albright knot is one of the few if not the only knot that does this well. It's also probably the best knot to use when joining braid to monofiliment. In my opinion braid is fast becoming the line of choice for surf fishing. The reason I believe this is because it has many advantages over mono. The only disadvantage I think that's justified is the price.

Click on this link for three good tips for tying the Albright knot and a video to show you how to tie it

The Dropper Loop Rig - A Very Common Surf Fishing Bottom Rig

A very common bottom rig for surf fishing is the dropper loop rig. It looks just like the fireball rig in that it has two hooks tied in-between the sinker and the swivel. You can use it as is or add colored beads to attract attention from the fish.

Some surf anglers will add floats to the hooks so the bait is kept just out of reach from pesky crabs trying to steal it.

The advantage of the dropper loop rig is the ability to change the hooks or the sinker easily. If you need more weight to hold the bottom the sinker can be swapped out in a jiffy. The same things goes for the hooks. You may want a different size hook if you decide to go to a different bait. Hooks are always sized to the size of your bait.

Here's a link to a video showing how to tie the dropper loop rig.

Avoid The Two Most Common Reasons For Line Twist on A Spinning Reel

There are two common mistakes surf anglers can make that cause line twist on a spinning reel. Here are the causes and how to avoid them.

The first mistake is spooling the reel up improperly. When you spool up a spinning reel the line must go on the reel in the same direction as it come off the spool. There's a very simple way to do this and get it right every time. You can learn how to properly spool a spinning reel here. It makes no difference which direction the reel turns as long as you match the direction it comes off the spool of new line.

Surf fish fight pretty hard and often take line from the reel by way of the drag. When the angler also tries to crank while line is taken off by the drag that's the second mistake that causes line twist. If line is being taken off the reel by a fighting fish you should let it take drag and apply pressure on the fish by using the power of the rod. Pull back on the rod and reel down on it to take up line. Just don't crank if line is comming off by the drag. This of course only applies to a spinning reel. A conventional reel does not suffer from this situation.

Line twist is one of the leading causes for tangles on a spinning reel. The other is over spooling. If you over spool it's only a matter of time before you have a real mess on your hands. Any time you spool up you should always stop about 1/8 of an inch from the outer edge of the lip on the spool.

Remember these two tips to avoid line twist and the problems it causes.

Popular Surf Fishing Bait

Before heading out to fish the surf you'll have to decide what surf fishing bait to use. There are several popular bait varieties to choose from. Before you make a choice consider the following:

• Will you be targeting a specific surf fish or going for pot luck?
• Do you plan to fish in the breakers or past the sandbar?
• Remember your surf fishing rigs should be sized to the bait you choose.
• Have you checked any surf fishing reports for the type of action to expect?
  

Lets start with the fishing reports. You should be able to learn:

• Where to find fish
• What kind of fish to target
• What bait is best to start with
  

Once you have an idea what location to fish and where in the surf the fish are feeding you know whether you'll be fishing the breakers or past the sandbar in the trough. You should also know what you will be fishing for and the bait you want to use.

If you weren't able to get any reports and have no idea what to use then you are stuck with pot luck. In that case your best bet is to go with shrimp. Shrimp is the universal saltwater bait. Practically every fish found in the surf will take live shrimp.

Here's a short list of popular surf fishing bait you could choose from.

Shrimp

Shrimp is my first choice unless I have reliable surf fishing reports for action on other baits or I'm planning to fish for sharks. The list of possible fish caught covers just about anything in the surf.

Sand Fleas

Sand fleas are actually mole crabs. They can be found at the edge of the surf by digging a few inches down in the sand. Surf anglers often use a sand flea rake to gather some to fish with. Sand fleas will catch a variety of fish. You can expect to get action from whiting, redfish, pompano, striped bass, croakers and black drum.

Mullet and Menhaden

Mullet are vegetarians. Many predators in the surf find them irresistible at times. If you are fishing for sharks, fish the troughs beyond the breakers with cut bait or the whole mullet. Mullet are popular with snook, stripped bass, redfish, bluefish, tarpon and sea trout.

Squid

You can get your squid from the grocery store or the local bait shop. Squid is available fresh or frozen and fished whole or cut into strips. You can fish for redfish, bluefish, stripped bass, sharks and others.

That's my list of the top four choices for surf fishing bait. You should have good luck with anyone of them.

How To Select A Surf Fishing Rod

There are a lot of choices a surf angler can choose from when selecting a surf fishing rod for a particular purpose. It helps if you already have some idea of the type of fishing you plan to do.

Generally speaking the length of the surf rod will most likely be between 8' and 12'. If you don't require casting distance and plan on using it to fish in the breakers then an 8' rod should suffice.

For greater casting distance most surf anglers will settle on something between 10' and 12'.

Now I'd like to address some of the others aspects of selecting a surf rod. Fishing rods are designed around several characteristics. I won't bore you with all the technical explanations but I will cover the basics.

The basic design characteristics used are:

• Action - how much the rod bends when put under pressure
  
• Taper - defines the thickness of the rod & the blank
• Power - defines the strength of the rod in terms of lifting power
• Responsiveness - the ability of the entire rod to flex, the whip factor
  

Most surf anglers would probably want a rod with good backbone (power) to fight the more powerful fish in the surf. However, a good surf rod also needs to have sufficient responsiveness for casting greater distances. So it's a bit of a trade off.

An experienced angler will likely fish in a variety of ways and thus have several rods for different purposes. On the other hand someone just starting out would probably be perfectly happy with medium heavy, 10' - 12' surf rod. Later with more experience the new angler would add more gear to suit other needs.

In either case before selecting a surf fishing rod consider:

• How strong the rod needs to be.
• The casting distance for the length of the rod.
• The whip factor to get the casting distance needed.
  

One more thing before I wrap up this post. If your a freshwater angler just getting into surf fishing, you could try one of your freshwater fishing rods just to get a little experience without spending any more money on equipment. Just be aware that the surf environment is pretty harsh and freshwater equipment isn't design to stand up to the punishment.

Click this link if you want to learn about surf fishing rods. You can find out more about it there.

Surf Fishing Rigs To Use

Choosing surf fishing rigs depends on the bait you will be using, surf conditions and the targeted fish in the surf. The hooks you decide to use for your fishing rig should be sized to your bait. Bigger bait = bigger hooks = bigger fish targeted.

The two most popular rigs are the fish finder rig and the fireball rig. The fish finder rig uses a sliding sinker connector attached above the leader, hooks and swivel. It allows the bait to be picked up by a fish without feeling the weight of the sinker. The bait also can feed out while the sinker stays in place on the bottom. You can leave the bail open on a spinning reel and let the bait work out with the current.

The fireball rig is set up with the sinker on the bottom and usually two hooks off the main leader above it. It may or may not have small floats attached near each hook. The purpose of the floats is to keep the bait just off the bottom so that the crabs can't get at it.

Try the fish finder with an out going tide and let the bait feed out with the tide. Use the fireball rig if you are targeting a specific location where you expect to find fish feeding. Learn to read the surf to target good spots to find fish.

Make up your own surf fishing rigs ahead of time and always have a few backup rigs ready to go in case of a break-off. Learn how to make your own rigs with The Encyclopedia of Fishing Knots and Rigs. If you prefer to buy ready made rigs there are surf rigs listed below available from Amazon.

Where To Find Fish in The Surf

It's no secret among surf anglers that the big saltwater fish are usually caught in the trough beyond the sandbar. That's not what this post is about.

It's about surf fishing in the breakers. Lots of fish hang out in the breakers including some of big predator fish. Bait fish are always looking for safety from them. Due to their size they tend to seek the shallows for protection. The predator fish know this and will come into the shallows to feed.

The action of the surf and the pull of the tides is sometimes stronger than the bait's ability to hold their position or control where they swim. They are often swept right into close proximity of predators looking for a meal.

Experiment with fishing live bait in the breakers and see what you come up with. If you can find a rip try live lining bait out with it. You're sure to get a good strike. Many predator game fish hang around the edges of a rip current waiting for bait to wash right into their path. Learn more tips about selecting surf fishing bait.

Surf Fishing Tips

Tips For Better Fishing In Surf Results

• Fish early in the morning around sun rise or at dusk right before dark. Learn more about surf fishing at night.
  
  
• A light onshore breeze will bring the fish up into the surf looking for bait. Try fishing inside the breakers during those times.
  
  
• Learn to read the surf to find the best spots that will produce fish. Learn how to read the surf and a lot more from this eBook
  
  
• Fishing in surf is dependent on tide flow. You can get tide charts for your location here.
  
  
• When you return from fishing don't leave your surf fishing rods joined. The ferrules will corrode from the surf environment and prevent you from taking them apart.
  
  
• Always rinse off your surf fishing gear and tackle with fresh water before you put it away. The exposure to the saltwater environment will develop a crust on the moving parts and corrode any unprotected finishes.
  
  
• Keep a piece of emery cloth in your tackle box for touching up the point of a hook which has become dull. It's also useful for removing rust from other gear in your tackle box.
  
  
• When surf casting against a strong wind use a side cast and keep it low to reduce the belly in your line from the wind. Learn how to surf cast 150 yards.
  
  
• If you aren't sure what kind of live bait to use, try shrimp. Most fish in the surf will take shrimp. Tips for how to choose the right surf fishing bait.
  
  
• When your surf rod is in a sand spike set the drag loose enough so you won't have a pull over when you get a nice strike. Then tighten the drag to land the fish.
  
  
• When fishing in surf for Tarpon use Ladyfish for cut bait. Tarpon love Ladyfish. Learn more about surf fishing for Tarpon.
  
  
• Don't select a surf fishing rod that is too long. Longer rods can cast further distance but require more power to cast. Most surf anglers don't use anything over 12'. Learn more about surf fishing rods.
  
  
• The two most popular surf fishing rigs are the fireball rig and the fish finder rig. Learn more about these two surf fishing rigs.
  
  
• A great surf fishing reel to use for live bait is one that has a bait feeder drag and a regular drag. You'll never have to worry about a pull over because the main drag kicks in as soon as you start to reel.
  
  
• Optimize your surf fishing tackle. Most surf anglers only use a small selection of lures and artificial bait in their tackle box. Keep it simple. Reduce the amount of gear you bring back and forth from the surf.
  
  
• If you want to improve your surf fishing results be sure to include watching the change in barometric pressure. Learn about surf fishing and barometers.
  
  
• You can salt cure bait yourself. Salt cured bait can be stored and also stays on the hook better.
  
  
• One way to learn more about surf fishing is to attend a surf fishing tournament. You'll have a chance to see and talk to many surf anglers and learn their best surf fishing techniques.
  
  
• Sabiki rigs can be used fishing in surf for live bait. Learn more about using a sabiki rig in the surf.